AIBIM

Kuala Lumpur, Thursday, 5 January 2017: - In a joint statement, The Association of Banks in Malaysia (ABM), Association of Islamic Banking Institutions Malaysia (AIBIM) and Association of Development Finance Institutions of Malaysia (ADFIM) wish to assure members of the public that their member financial institutions (FIs) will be pro-actively assisting customers, be they individuals or businesses, affected by the recent floods in several states across Malaysia.

FIs with operations in the flood stricken states understand it is crucial for affected households and businesses to have access to their finances, thus they will ensure that basic banking services will be made available. The FIs have allocated substantial resources to ensure that over-the-counter services are available and self-service machines such as the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) and Cheque/Cash Deposit Machine (CDM) are functioning so that access to basic banking services are not interrupted.

As in previous years, FIs will be extending a helping hand during this challenging period by providing solutions and assistance to customers based on their individual financial circumstances. Affected customers are advised to contact their respective financial institution(s) for consultation with regard to their banking issues which may arise due to the recent floods.

Members of the public are welcome to contact the Associations at:-

The ABMConnect hotline by dialling 1-300-88-9980 or emailing eABMConnect by logging on to ABM’s website, www.abm.org.my

Contact AIBIM at 03-20268002/3 or e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ADFIM at 03-26949871 or e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Depositors are now given the option to choose between investment and deposit accounts. Customers, who opt for investment accounts which allow them to invest in the Islamic banks’ portfolio of assets, could potentially enjoy higher returns than deposit accounts.

“This allows the banks to customise their products according to the customers’ profile and risk appetite. Those who are prepared to take higher investment risk could potentially earn higher returns”.

Just like any investment, the principal amount for investment accounts is not guaranteed. Since these accounts are not deemed as deposits under IFSA, the funds are not protected under the Perbadanan Insurans Deposit Malaysia (PIDM) scheme.

“The Islamic banks will conduct customer suitability assessments to ensure that customers choose investment accounts that commensurate with their risk appetite, financial profile and capacity. This is in line with the customer protection pillars under IFSA,” Redza added.

With this new product offering, existing Mudharabah account holders can opt for investment or deposit accounts. Islamic banks offering the investment account option have communicated the specific product features and benefits to their respective customers.

As such, customers are advised to inform their banks of their preferred option, be it investment or deposit accounts, by the deadline communicated by their respective banks. Otherwise, their accounts will be maintained as deposit accounts. The Islamic deposit accounts will continue to be guaranteed and covered by PIDM.

New Message Usage Guidelines developed with AIBIM to enable straight-through processing for Islamic Finance Hong Kong, 18 June 2015 – SWIFT, in collaboration with The Association of Islamic Banking Institutions Malaysia (AIBIM) announce the launch of a new rulebook for the purpose of promoting message standards in the Islamic banking and finance market.

The Islamic finance rulebook has been developed in response to the growing significance of the Islamic banking and finance market. It aims to provide greater clarity around the usage of Shariah-compliant MT messages in order to expedite market harmonisation and increase Straight-through Processing (STP) to improve efficiency and reduce risks and cost.

Since 2013, the Asia Pacific Standards team at SWIFT has been working in close cooperation with AIBIM to develop STP-enabled financial messaging specific to the requirements of Islamic financial institutions.

The SWIFT Islamic finance rulebook will continue to evolve as the Islamic financial industry continues to meet the evolving business needs in the global financial arena.

This version of the rulebook covers three types of SWIFT confirmation messages:

The future of the rulebook is to include all practices that use Islamic financial instruments, such as previously developed SWIFT Murabahah solution (cost-plus-sales contract), Mudarabah (profit sharing) and Sukuk (Islamic bonds).

“The collaboration between SWIFT and AIBIM has resulted in a concise guideline that would facilitate our members to further enhance their efficiency. We look forward for other Islamic financial institutions in other jurisdictions to utilise this solution as well,” says Yusry Yusoff, CEO/Executive Director of AIBIM.

The SWIFT Islamic Finance rulebook was endorsed by Shariah Advisory Committee of AIBIM and adopted by AIBIM council. It will be available to the Message User Group (MUG) in July 2015. The MUG is a group of users that have registered to use specific messages within a controlled user community. The MUG for the Islamic finance rulebook will also be available for registration at www.swift.com.